Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-06-03
MISUNDERSTANDING
HELD LAST EVENING IN THB HALL OF
THE TRADES ASSEMBLY.
Quite Large Number Present Who Listen 70 a Well
Timed Address by h. W. Smith, "a
Well-KDOwn Organizer.

In response to O call for mass meeting OF
miners at Labor Hall, last evening, there
was quite number present, among whom
were many of the members of the local
lodge of the National Federation of Miners
and Mine Laborers President NJ. F. Moran
called the meeting to order, and introdu-
ced the speaker of the evening Mr.. H. W,
Smith, of Pekin, ILL.,, who has been In the
State some weeks, principally In the
Kanawha Valley, where he has been en-
jagged in organizing the miners into the
Federation. Mr.. Smith said:
''For ten years the good and true men OF
our craft, who were members of the
Knights OF Labor, have done their best to
spread that organization among our crafts
men, in the hope that the time might come
when a sufficient number could be enrolled
70 enable us to make some grand move
toward lettering our miserable and de-
graded position. But all in vain. Year
after year We were going from bad to worse,
and after q great deal Of correspondence
between large number of the able,
homes and intelligent men in the
various coal producing States, ma
tiOnal convention was called in
indianapolis, Ind, September II, 1885.
Every man at that convention, with three
or four exceptions, was member in good
standing of the Knights of Labor, and it
was unanimously agreed that the present
National Federation should be made an
open organization. The wisdom OF that
movement has been we'll illustrated since
that time to the present. Never before in
the history of coal mining in our country
has an organization among our craft work
ed such wonderful changes for their good.
In twenty months thousands Of miners
and mine labOrers, through their
representatives, have met face
to face with their employers
Il number Of times, and at each meeting
have come to know each other better and
to have more respect each for the other
than in the past. The great source OF
trouble existing between US and our EN-
plOyers was that we stayed too far apart.
We had to come together and understand
each other before we could have peace.
The truth is capital and labor are joint
partners, the man who has the capital and
the man who has the muscle must rise or
fall together, and the object of the Fedora
ton is to rise both together and have just
ice, peace and harmony, and since the
forming of the National Federation good
feeling, confidence and harmony exists be-
tween us and our employers in hundreds
of cases where distruSt, hard feelings and
enmity formerly existed. Hence We have
reason to rejoice that we have organized
this glorious institutiOn-the National
Federation of Miners and Mine LabOrers Of
the United States. To make the Fedora
tiCn a success in this State | am sent here
to aid you to organize the miners of this
State into it, for it is the miners ark Of
safety. Through it and through ii alone
can we as miners regulate, govern and pro-
teCt our craft, receive adequate cOmpensa-
ton for our labor and enable us to live in
comfort and happiness, aflording OppOrtu-
mites for US TO improve ourselves morally,
socially and financially.
The speaker then went on to say that it
was necessary to regulate production and
by doing this it might be necessary to re-
duce the hours of labor He said the eX-
cess Of supply often melted operators to
competition, which resulted in q reduction
in prices and a consequent requctiOn in
miners wages. This could be prevented
by limiting the supply, but it can only be
done by universal organization. lie gave
the miners lots of good advice regarding
their organization, and cautioned them
Il t5b,,
standings on operators when they were
blameless.
lie said what is necessary to the success
of all labor organizations is to cultivate
higher degree of intelligence, higher de-
gree of confidence in themselves and each
other, and last, but not least important,
q higher degree of sObriety. Drink, he
said, in an organization is curse against
conservatism, and there was no greater
evil to contend with. He also warned
them from allowing religion, nationality,
politics, etc, to interfere with their good
Fellowship, and pOunced onto the man who
is always attempting to stir up strife,
He closed by saying that he had noticed
a good spirit for organization in Wheeling,
and found more practical sense among her
workingmen than in any place he had been
for some time. Mr.. Smith also said he had
been all over the country, and spoken in
many of the largest cities but he found no
hall that excelled ours.
President Moran then made a few re-
marks followed by Others, when the meet
ing rendered Mr.. Smith y unanimous vote
of thanks. A State Union Of the Nation
al Federation is to be organized in Charles
ton some time next month, at which time
State officers will be elected. The FEEDER
alton in the city and throughout the State
will then, no doubt, rapidly increase in